InBev Romania, the third largest producer on the domestic beer market, ended last year with turnover worth 627.8 million RON (188.1 million euros), which contributed to approximately 8 percent of the Belgian group's business in Central and Eastern Europe.

The turnover of the local branch of InBev advanced by 19 percent last year compared with 2007, according to company representatives.

The volume of sales made in the same period stood at over 3.9 million hectolitres, up 16.8 percent on 2006.

In past years, the representatives of InBev Romania have not provided any information on profit derived in Romania, however the latest available data shows an income worth 21.3 million euros in 2006, according to the Finance Ministry. Also last year, the Belgian group's business in the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) stood at 2.1 billion euros, an increase of 22 percent on the previous year, alongside a volume of 49.1 million hectolitres, 20 percent more than two years ago.

According to this data, InBev Romania's business last year accounted for approximately 8.5 percent of the total business of the Belgian group in CEE, and 7.9 percent of the total volume sold in the region in 2007.

However, last year saw a significant slowdown in the growth rate of European market leader's local branch, after in the two years before the company posted higher growth compared with the rest of the CEE market.

According to the information on InBev's website, the local branch of the Belgian producer achieved a 33 percent increase in value and 30 percent increase in volume in 2006 compared with only 17 percent increase in turnover and 10 percent increase in the volume sold in CEE. Whereas Romania was the number one among Central and Eastern European markets in terms of growth in the first half of last year, at the end of 2007, Bergenbier producer was left behind b